Latest news with #AnnabelWilkinson
BBC News
21-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Lack of pupils forces permanent closure of Harrogate nursery
A North Yorkshire primary school is set to permanently close its maintained nursery due to a lack of demand for governing board of Kettlesing Felliscliffe Community Primary School in Harrogate will remove nursery provision from 31 August, following a consultation with parents and decision will see year groups running from reception to Year 6 for pupils aged four to 11 instead of the current nursery to Year 6 for children aged between three and 11 from Yorkshire Council's executive member for education, learning and skills, Annabel Wilkinson, said pupil numbers had "steadily declined" in recent years with no nursery-aged children currently enrolled. She added: "This is not a sudden decision or something we take lightly."According to figures, 17 children were attending the nursery in October 2020, which reduced to nine in October decision to temporarily suspend nursery provision had previously been made by the school federation's interim executive board following a consultation and took effect from September to a recent consultation supported the permanent closure of the nursery and no issues or concerns were raised by local families, the council said."Based on the feedback received, it seems the sensible thing to do is to permanently change the age range at the school," Ms Wilkinson said."Despite the closure of this nursery, families still have access to good early years places within their community for their children which includes flexibility of accessing the provision during the school holidays."The school's executive headteacher, Victoria Kirkman said it was "business as usual" for pupils from reception to Year 6. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Kirkby Fleetham school closure councillor accused of 'hypocrisy'
A councillor has been accused of hypocrisy and urged to consider her position over a complaint she made to the government about the closure of a school in her Yorkshire Council's Annabel Wilkinson wrote to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson claiming the process to close Kirkby Fleetham Church of England Primary School, near Northallerton, had been "undemocratic".An opposition councillor said Wilkinson, as executive member for education, had overseen the closure of several schools and contrasted that with her concern over the closure of one in her own council has been approached for comment. She had spoken out after the government made a substantive decision to close the school just two weeks after parents had been told of the an academy, the school comes under the direct control of the Department for Education rather than the local councillor, who represents the Morton-on-Swale and Appleton Wiske division, said "scant regard" had been paid to the views of the community over the the letter to the minister, the Conservative member said her authority had closed schools previously, but this had always been "after a lengthy and very thorough public consultation process". 'Implicit threat' According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Liberal Democrat councillor Andrew Murday said Wilkinson had overseen the closure of at least three local authority schools as executive member for education."For those of us who have experience of attempting to overcome school closures by North Yorkshire Council, what comes as a shock is the hypocrisy demonstrated by Councillor Wilkinson when it comes to a school in her own electoral division."When [she] and her officers threaten to close a school they carry out a superficial consultation but take no notice of the views of the parents or the community."Murday, who represents the Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale division, claimed school closures in North Yorkshire followed a common pattern."It starts with reports that pupil numbers are falling and the implicit threat to the school's existence," he said."Anxious parents protest to the council officers and members, but the threat of closure leads to an exodus of the remaining pupils and the closure becomes a fait accompli."Wilkinson is also responsible for changes to the home-to-school transport policy, which now only provides free transport to a child's nearest school, rather than their catchment said that policy was likely to cause chaos as the advice to prospective parents as they made their choice of secondary school was added: "As well as incompetence, Councillor Wilkinson now faces the accusation of hypocrisy."She should now carefully consider her position as the responsible executive member." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
21-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Rural school and sixth form to close permanently
A primary school and a sixth form which have both seen student numbers fall recently are to close and Hornby Church of England Primary School, near Catterick Garrison, had suffered financially with "only a handful" of pupils attending, a North Yorkshire Council meeting heard on entries to the sixth form at The Wensleydale School in Leyburn were temporarily suspended for two years in September 2023 after numbers dropped to just eight council said Hackforth and Hornby Primary School would officially close on 31 August, with sixth form provision at The Wensleydale School ending on the same day. Consultations on the proposed closures ran for six weeks at the end of 2024, followed by a public meeting in council's executive considered the consultation feedback in January 2025 and allowed further representations to be made until 28 a meeting of North Yorkshire Council's children and young people's service, Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education, learning and skills, said: "Closing a school is never an easy decision to make. "However, pupil numbers at Hackforth and Hornby Church of England Primary School have continued to drop since 2017. "The school has a capacity to accommodate 42 children, but currently there are only a handful of primary age children attending."She added: "The decision had been made with a heavy heart, we have no choice but to close the school."Meanwhile, a decision was also made to end sixth form provision at Wensleydale School, in Leyburn, where there have been no post-16 students in Years 12 and 13 for the past two years. A council spokesperson said the school would continue to remain open to pupils aged 11 to 16. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Councillor dismay over 'undemocratic' school move
A move to close a North Yorkshire school has been "undemocratic", showing "scant regard" for the community's views, a councillor has told a government minister. In January, the Dales Academies Trust announced it planned to close Kirkby Fleetham Church of England Primary School, near Northallerton, at the end of the summer term due to low pupil numbers. Campaigners pledged to continue to fight to keep the school open, with Annabel Wilkinson, North Yorkshire Council's executive member for education, writing to education secretary Bridget Phillipson to share her dissatisfaction about the process. The Department for Education has been approached for comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Wilkinson said parents were informed on 16 January that the trust was proposing to close the school and that the government had given their in-principal approval. The council said it was advised that a substantive decision to close the school was then made less than a fortnight later. "Not only am I staggered at how undemocratic this process is, how little regard is paid to listening to any views of stakeholders and the community, but your own guidance is very misleading regarding the role of the local authority in the process and decision," Wilkinson wrote. When the council makes a decision to close a school it is always reached after a "lengthy and very thorough public consultation process", she said. "Your process has no consultation and pays scant regard to anything the community wants to say regarding the closure - this just isn't right," the councillor concluded. The decision to shut the rural school, which has 18 pupils, prompted a campaign from parents, past pupils, and the wider community. More than 600 people have signed a petition calling for the school to stay open. Save Our School campaigner Tim Barker said: "The whole process stinks. "There's been a lack of oversight, a lack of authentic community engagement and a lack of humanity." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Parents urge education secretary to save school Families call for village school to be saved Village primary school with 18 pupils to close Department for Education North Yorkshire Council
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Councillor calls move to close Kirkby Fleetham school 'undemocratic'
A move to close a North Yorkshire school has been "undemocratic", showing "scant regard" for the community's views, a councillor has told a government minister. In January, the Dales Academies Trust announced it planned to close Kirkby Fleetham Church of England Primary School, near Northallerton, at the end of the summer term due to low pupil pledged to continue to fight to keep the school open, with Annabel Wilkinson, North Yorkshire Council's executive member for education, writing to education secretary Bridget Phillipson to share her dissatisfaction about the Department for Education has been approached for comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Wilkinson said parents were informed on 16 January that the trust was proposing to close the school and that the government had given their in-principal council said it was advised that a substantive decision to close the school was then made less than a fortnight later. "Not only am I staggered at how undemocratic this process is, how little regard is paid to listening to any views of stakeholders and the community, but your own guidance is very misleading regarding the role of the local authority in the process and decision," Wilkinson wrote. When the council makes a decision to close a school it is always reached after a "lengthy and very thorough public consultation process", she said."Your process has no consultation and pays scant regard to anything the community wants to say regarding the closure - this just isn't right," the councillor decision to shut the rural school, which has 18 pupils, prompted a campaign from parents, past pupils, and the wider than 600 people have signed a petition calling for the school to stay Our School campaigner Tim Barker said: "The whole process stinks."There's been a lack of oversight, a lack of authentic community engagement and a lack of humanity." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
